What does it mean to be an Entrepreneur?

When you think of an “entrepreneur”, you probably think of successful innovators like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk. Businessmen who defied the odds to create industry breakthroughs and disrupt major economies. However, being an entrepreneur doesn’t always mean you have to be successful or create something new. In fact, the kids on the street selling lemonade are just as much entrepreneurs as Elon- same concept, different industry and impact.

So, what IS an entrepreneur? Is it a risk taking idiot? Luck? A career? A warm feeling you get inside? I guess you could say it is all of the above, but, most importantly, it’s a mindset. Being an entrepreneur means being crazy enough to pursue your passion in the face of endless hardship. Constantly thinking about how you can grow your idea or business. It’s putting the time, effort and money into your idea with the understanding that failure is an option. It’s being a leader, targeting your market despite those who tried before you.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t anything easy. Starting a business from scratch takes long and hard hours. Many times their is no clear path to success. 24/7 work days, countless meetings and barely enough cash for a McDouble. I wouldn’t say it’s the healthiest lifestyle. So why do you think anyone wants to be an entrepreneur? Because they strive for more. They thrive in the unknown and see possibilities as limitless. Instead of TAKING jobs, they want to MAKE jobs. They want to change the world with their ideas.

So, how do you become an entrepreneur? You make an active choice to change your mindset. The journey starts as soon as you decide. If you have an idea, make it more than that, all it takes is execution. So be the person who gets stuff done, start the research, take a chance and make it happen.